Sunday, December 18, 2011

My sincerest apologies for the delay on this, but it is after all Coney Christmas and so I’m sure you all understand.

Not familiar with Coney Christmas? I’m appalled…oh wait…that’s right. It’s a tradition held only by…well…only my family. One that involves eating chili dogs, french fries and having an ice cold pop (pop=soda for most of you outside of MI) of your choice. We’ve also recently expanded this tradition of 25 plus years strong to include exchanging a few gifts since Christmas Eve with the extended extended family has the big name draw. It all started in the middle of a busy day of Christmas shopping with my mom and dad when my sister and I were little. Some older man with a thick Greek accent beckoned us into his restaurant. My parents decided they wanted a little Christmas tradition of their own and Coney Christmas it has become. Weird I know, but I totally love it.

Friday, December 2, 2011

What? What do you mean today’s not Black Friday?! Are you serious?! You say it was LAST Friday? Shoot. I can’t believe I missed it. Guess I’ll just keep this nifty little running gizmo for myself then.

HA! Just kidding! Really, what happened is that I just have a super intelligent little baby girl on my hands who’s been thwarting my every attempt to write. You see, usually I write after the Bigs (my 3 & 5 year olds) are in bed, but I haven’t been able to do that because this new baby girl of mine starts wailing EVERY TIME I sit down to type. She can be perfectly content in her bouncy seat or little crib, asleep even, but the minute I go sit down at my computer she senses it and says, “nuh uh Mommy. You’re supposed to be sitting here adoring me.” Finally though, I think I’ve figured out a way to write AND accommodate the tiny little princess. She’s in her little cosleeper attached to my bed and I’m sitting in bed right next to her with my notebook typing this post. That’s right folks. I outsmarted a 6 week old. Aren’t SO you proud?

But let’s get on to this MUCH overdue giveaway shall we?!

Ever hear of a VITABand? Me neither. That is until one of my most favorite product reps, Morgan from Smack Media (same company that represents my fav sun block, Scape, btw) contacted me to see if I was game for trying out something new. Of course, me never being one to turn down free goods and knowing that if Smack was reping the product it was sure to be another homerun I said absolutely.

And let me tell you, Morgan did not disappoint! VITABand is a sleek, stylish identification wrist band, similar to Road ID with a few notable exceptions.

For starters, let’s talk looks. In my opinion, it’s more watchlike looking than Livestrong wristband looking. It’s slender, not at all bulky and waterproof.

Secondly, unlike most RoadID models, there’s no personal info on the plate. While Road ID is entirely customizable (you can put as much or as little info on the identification plate as you desire), VITABand has only an id number. Medical personnel access your information by calling the VITABand Telephone Access Center. Whatever medical and/or contact information you have entered on your emergency response profile created through VITABand, they’ll have access to. You can put as much or as little information as you like, but none of that information is visible on your wrist.

Now I know we don’t like to think about something bad happening during a run, do. What if something did happen and you couldn’t speak? Wouldn’t you want EMT’s to know any important medical information that was necessary to treat you? What if it could save your life (like in my case being allergic to a specific commonly used medication)? How about your loved ones, wouldn’t you want them to be contacted as soon as possible? I highly recommend carry some form of id on you when you run, just in case, because you just never know.

But probably the most significant difference between RoadID and VITABand is that a VITABand can also be connected to a prepaid Visa card if you so desire. Now, how cool is that? All I could think of when I heard that was the 2007 Chicago Marathon. You know, the one that was cancelled because of the unseasonably hot weather, cancelled while runners were ON the course. Aid stations were out of water. The sound of ambulance sirens was a constant. Runners still on the course were being ordered to walk. THAT Chicago marathon. How nice would it have been to be wearing one of those VITABands during that race? You could just walk right into a a gas station and snag yourself a cool bottle of water, maybe buy a couple for a few of your desperate fellow runners? Perhaps a bag of ice while you were at it. All with contactless payment, your VITABand attached to your wrist. No sweaty dollars to pull out of a pocket if you had had the foresight to bring some along in the first place.

Now, you do actually have to put money on the pre-paid card for it to work, anywhere from $20-$200 (sorry, no free money this time ) And the merchant you are trying to purchase something from has to accept contactless payment, but according to the information VITABand sent me a lot of them do (BP, Subway, 7-11, Riteaid to name a few. Click here to see a list of merchants)and it’s estimated that within a year 1/3 of all merchants will accept pay wave. So you’ll totally be hooked up.

Pretty sweet eh? And a GREAT idea for the runner you love on your Christmas list. You can order one online in pink, blue, grey, white, or black at https://vitaband.net/store OR you can throw your name in to the hat (or great big bowl I use to make cookies in our case) and see if you can win one for FREE! That’s right! I’m giving the grey one (size small/medium) they sent me away, not because I don’t want it. It’s pretty sweet. It’s just that I’ve got two RoadID’s with my name emblazoned on them already. So I figure why not let some other mother run safely too?

Here’s how to enter:

MANDATORY

1. Become a follower of this blog. That’s it! Piece of cake. Follow here (upper right), follow on Facebook or follow on Twitter. Then let me know you’ve become a follower in the comments and you’re officially entered in the giveaway! If you already are a follower, AWESOME! You can enter too of course, just leave me a comment and let me know you want in (That’s the key folks. You MUST leave me a comment so I know you would like to be entered in the giveaway.)

WANT TO DOUBLE YOUR CHANCES TO WIN?

Do something to promote this giveaway. Update your Facebook status, tweet it, blog about it, email your running pals, post a link on your website or whatever you can think of that would maybe send a few folks my way. Pick one method (or more if you really love me ) and let me know in the comments what you did and I’ll toss your name in the hat twice instead of once. WOOHOO!!!

All entries must be received by 11:59:59 PM on December 16th, 2011. I’ll let one of my kiddos choose one winner randomly out of a big bowl of names the next day and announce the winner then. The winner will have one week to respond or we’ll pull another name. Rinse and repeat until someone claims the prize.

RunNana-My mom, a junior high teacher, and breast cancer survivor who started running when she was 54. You'll meet her in the comments. She reads every single post I write. Probably to make sure I stay out of trouble.

Mobile Mile Marker, Mighty Mole Man, Papa- My dad, who last year rode his bicycle 100 miles (at once) to see if he could, but's also gracious enough to lolligag around with me oh his bike, mark the miles and chase the pervs away on my long runs

RunSis- The one & only, my little sis. Marathoner in the making & the mom I hope to one day grow up to be